A very, very big day

Here are the west-facing stained glass windows in the historic Community Congregational Church of Manitou Springs, captured yesterday around 3:00PM. This afternoon, I will be shooting a wedding there. A guy and a gal, in love and making a lifelong commitment. Maybe someday soon I'll be shooting a same sex wedding there: a gal and a gal, or a guy and a guy, in love and making a lifelong commitment. Yesterday was certainly a big day for the United States. Just going by the many, many overjoyed Facebook posts and tweets inundating my feeds yesterday, I think it's safe to say that a large majority of people are not only in alignment with the Supreme Court, they are fairly bursting with joy and pride over the historic decision handed down yesterday. However, I certainly understand that many people are still not comfortable with the idea, and in fact stand in strong opposition. All I can say to that is this: it must have been equally weird or even repugnant (terrible but true) for many Americans in 1967 when the Supreme Court ruled that the few remaining anti-miscegenation laws in our country, all of them in the South, were unconstitutional. But now, just a generation or so down the line, no one thinks a thing of interracial marriage. Yes, of course there are still racists out there who have vile things to say, but most Americans embraced it long ago. Similarly, no doubt there will be continue to be people with anti-gay sentiments. But over time, the majority of us will simply move forward with the new status quo, and years from now will look upon the struggle to legalize gay marriage as the "old days".

As for me, I think it's been a long time coming. To my many gay friends, some of whom I've known for as long as 30 years: CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy that you finally, finally have the right to marry the one you love!

And readers, if you need an extra dose of happiness, please take a moment to visit my friend Shauna's blog HERE. Shauna lives in Dallas, Texas, and the minute she heard that gay marriage had been legalized she rushed to City Hall to document the many overjoyed couples formalizing their unions. Her photos are incredibly happy and emotional. I too had the same instinct to grab my camera bag and run to City Hall, but because our annual Hill Climb Fanfest (huge street party) was going on downtown, I figured it was a lost cause. GREAT pictures, Shauna!!! Love is love!